"Your body and mind are meant to be a whole, and to ensure that they are, your whole existence is based on feedback loops. Body listens to mind; mind listens to body. Awareness is the link. Make no mistake: Every cell knows when you are unhappy, anxious or stressed. A cell's awareness is expressed in chemical reactions instead of words. No matter. The message comes through loud and clear."-Deepak Chopra

As anyone who practices yoga knows, we teachers talk a lot about listening to the body, paying attention to the body, and taking care of the body. In almost every class, I urge my students to pay attention, to notice their energy levels, to notice where they're tight, sore, fatigued, energized. I ask them to check-in with their shoulders (are you crunching them up to your ears?), to their jaws (is it clenched?), to what's happening in the neck (are you putting it in a stressful position?), and I watch as people work to consciously and purposefully relax their bodies.

Here's the thing: everything that you do with your physical body has an impact on your state of being. If you crunch your shoulders up to your ears, your mind receives a message that you're tense. If you clench your jaw, typically the rest of the body follows, closing up, tightening. If you force your body to keep going when it needs rest, it will find a way to make you slow down (eventually). Ultimately, the body is in charge.

Therefore, I believe that the body knows best. The thing is, you actually have to listen to it--and listening to the messages from the body takes some practice, some skill, some attention.

For instance, here's a recent example from my own life: I've basically been told that running = not a good fit for my body, my injuries, my skeleton. And yet, I miss running, especially when the seasons change in the spring and I want to be outside. So I've gone on a few short little jogs lately, hoping that as long as I don't run for too long, and intersperse my running with walking, I'll be okay. But my body doesn't like it. My injured hamstring flares up. My hips start to ache. I can feel everything tightening, trying to protect me, urging me to stop. My body is trying to tell me that if I continue to run, I'll probably injure myself. So, I have a choice--listen or not?

In the past, I didn't listen to these messages. That's why I got severely hurt from running many years ago (and why I discovered yoga--yay!). But this time around, I'd like to think that I've learned to listen, and therefore, I need to stop. I will stop. Because my body truly knows best, and it's telling me NO.

If you learn to listen to your body, you'll start to be amazed at what it tells you. It knows when you're really tired and need to sleep. It will tell you when you've been sitting too long, or when you have bad posture and need to fix it. It will crave the nutrients that you forget to eat, it will tell you when you must slow down (usually by getting sick), and it will tell you when you have energy and can push it a little bit. It's incredible--once you truly start listening.

But listening is only half of the equation. What you do with what your body tells you is what makes a difference. If you're practicing yoga and your body tells you that you need a break (it wants you to come into Child's Pose), you have the choice to do what it wants, or to push through. This is often the hard part, as it usually involves a power struggle with the mind (which often doesn't want to listen to what the body has to say); but despite this inner dispute, I urge you to try and listen to the body. Then see how it rewards you for doing so. Usually, it does.

My challenge to you today: listen to your body, pay attention, and do at least one thing that it tells you to do. See what happens.

Namaste!Mary Catherine

Tara B.

5/7/2013 07:43:28 am

This this this!
As I'm sure you can imagine, a lot of this also applies to Pilates, and I say this all the time at SBL to clients, especially those who come to us with injuries (and even those who don't). Of course, I'm not always the greatest at following my own advice, but lately I'm trying to listen to my body more as well. Sometimes I feel a little discouraged that I'll probably never be able to do certain super advanced Pilates moves, because it's just not in my anatomy (when you have bones fused together it's kinda hard, and painful, to try to get them to move in a different way), but as long as I do what I can and take care of myself, that's always a big accomplishment. I also love that I can honor the way my body is feeling in all the classes at Tranquil Space!

Thank you so much for posting this. I will definitely share this one!

Mary Catherine

5/9/2013 09:45:30 pm

Thanks for sharing, Tara! Yes, it sounds like you can TOTALLY relate :) Great to see you Wednesday! xo

JOIN ME

WANT MORE STARR STRUCK? Sign up to receive my monthly newsletter + receive a *free* download of my eBook Out of My Mind: Six Years of Starr Struck {A Collection of my favorite blog posts from over the years}:

DISCLOSURE

This blog is a personal blog written and edited by me. From time to time, I accept compensation for sponsored posts and campaigns. However, any sponsored content will be clearly identified as paid or sponsored. Even though I receive compensation for sponsored posts, I always give my honest opinions, findings, beliefs, or experiences on those topics or products. The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely my own.

I am also a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.